The first organized forms of swimming sport appeared in the late 19th century in several cities in present-day Vojvodina, primarily in Sombor, Subotica, Zrenjanin, and Senta. The first swimming section was established in 1887 in Sombor, within the Sombor Sports Association. Such associations were subsequently formed in Subotica, Zrenjanin, and Senta, and later, between the two world wars, in Novi Sad, Kikinda, and Novi Bečej.
The first championship of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes in swimming was held at Lake Bled on August 28, 1921, and was then organized every year. A month later, on October 2, 1921, the Yugoslav Swimming Federation was established in Zagreb as an association of five sub-federations from Belgrade, Ljubljana, Sombor, Split, and Zagreb. From its inception, this federation took care of swimming, water polo, and diving. Following this, new clubs began to be established across the country, and swimming competitions were organized.1
Swimmers from the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes first appeared at an international competition in 1923 in Sweden and Denmark, and the following year, in 1924, they participated in the VIII Olympic Games in Paris. Five swimmers competed: Smokvina in the 100 meters freestyle, Venterini and Sentđerđi in the 400 meters freestyle, Roje in the 1500 meters freestyle, Pavelić in the 200 meters breaststroke, and a relay team in the 4x200 meters freestyle (Arčanin, Roje, Smokvina, and Venturini). The swimmers' debut at the largest sporting event was not particularly successful, as all were eliminated in the preliminary rounds.
1 Source: Encyclopedia of Physical Culture, Zagreb 1977, Volume 2, page 68
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